# Create realistic planet

> A fun old Photoshop tutorial showing how to create a realistic planet using filters, rendering, and layer techniques. Step-by-step guide with visual demonstrations.

Published: Nov 11, 2007
By Nikhil Verma

> This is just a fun old post I recovered from the web archive! A tutorial I wrote way back in 2007 on creating realistic planets in Photoshop.

## Creating a Realistic Planet using Photoshop Filters

This tutorial has been designed completely by me. The steps are many but the result is great!

**Note:** Before starting, reset your workspace by Window → Workspace → Reset Palette Locations

### Initial Setup

- First of all start with a 750×750 image
- Select the elliptical marquee tool. Set its style to "Fixed Size" and Width and Height to 750, 750 and click to create the selection
- Drag it to the center
- Create a new layer and name it "Water"
- Goto Filter → Render → Clouds
- Now goto Filter → Distort → Spherize {Amount: 100 — Mode: Normal}
- Lock the layers transparency by clicking on the small checkerboard icon in the layers window
- Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur {Radius: 20}
- Goto Image → Adjustments → Hue/Saturation {Colorize: Yes — Hue: 218 — Saturation: 25 — Lightness: -20}

![Water layer](/images/create-realistic-planet/1.jpg)

### Creating the Land

- Now create a new layer and name it "Land"
- Select the layer "Land" and (Ctrl + Click on the water layer)
- Now goto Filter → Distort → Spherize {Amount: 100 — Mode: Normal}
- Image → Brightness/Contrast {Contrast: 100 — Brightness: May range from 0 to -30 according to the size of the land}
- Select the Magic Wand Tool (W) {Tolerance: 32 — Anti-aliased: Yes — Other Options: No}
- Click on any black part of the layer "Land"
- Press delete
- Now Ctrl + Click the "Land" layer
- Goto Filter → Render → Clouds
- Goto Filter → Render → Difference Clouds {Press Ctrl + F until you get a balanced texture, usually 1 time}
- Edit → Fade Difference Clouds {Opacity: 50 — Mode: Normal}
- Press Ctrl + D to deselect the layer
- Goto Filter → Render → Lighting Effects and use these settings

![Land layer with lighting](/images/create-realistic-planet/2.jpg)

### Adding Clouds

- Now create a new layer and name it "Clouds"
- Select the layer "Clouds" and (Ctrl + Click on the water layer)
- Goto Filter → Render → Clouds {Don't worry if the planet is hidden}
- Goto Filter → Render → Difference Clouds {Once Only!!!}
- Press Ctrl + I
- Image → Adjustments → Brightness/Contrast {Brightness: -30 — Contrast: 95}
- Lock the layers transparency by clicking on the small checkerboard icon in the layers window
- Filter → Blur → Motion Blur {Angle: 0 — Distance: 120}
- Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur {Radius: 4}
- Now goto Filter → Distort → Spherize {Amount: 50 — Mode: Normal}
- Select its Blending mode as "Screen"
- Image → Brightness/Contrast {Contrast: 60 — Brightness: 0}
- Set the opacity of the layer to 60
- Press Ctrl + D to deselect {IMPORTANT !!!}
- Click on the "Water" Layer
- Goto Filter → Render → Lighting Effects and use the same settings but set the "Texture Channel" to "None"
- Do the same for layer "Clouds"
- Image → Canvas Size {Width: 800 — Height: 800 : Relative: No — Anchor: Center}
- Click on the Background layer
- Press D and then press Alt + Backspace to fill the background

Now your planet should look like this:

![Planet with clouds](/images/create-realistic-planet/3.jpg)

### Adding Colors and Final Touches

- Click on the layer "Land" and drag it to the New Layer button to duplicate it
- Click on the "Add Layer Mask" button in the layers window
- Filter → Render → Clouds
- Image → Brightness/Contrast {Contrast: 70 — Brightness: 0}
- Now click on the "Land Copy" layer {Click on the thumbnail of the planet!!! not the cloud in the layers window}
- Goto Image → Adjustments → Hue/Saturation {Colorize: Yes — Hue: 139 — Saturation: 25 — Lightness: 0}
- Click on the "Land" layer
- Goto Image → Adjustments → Hue/Saturation {Colorize: Yes — Hue: 35 — Saturation: 40 — Lightness: -30}
- Click on the Background layer
- Filter → Noise → Add Noise {Amount: 70 — Distribution: Uniform — Monochromatic: No}
- Edit → Fade Add Noise → {Opacity: 50 — Mode: Dissolve}
- Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur {Radius: 1}
- Image → Brightness/Contrast {Contrast: 90 — Brightness: -35}
- Create a new layer just above the background and goto Filter → Render → Clouds
- Select the blending mode to "Screen" and "Opacity" to 50
- Goto Image → Adjustments → Hue/Saturation {Colorize: Yes — Hue: 238 — Saturation: 15 — Lightness: -15}
- Press Ctrl + E

### Final Result

Here is the final result:

![Final planet result](/images/create-realistic-planet/4.jpg)

You can make it more realistic by smoothing the land layer with a blur brush tool...

And adding some lighting to the Water layer...

Like this...

![Enhanced planet with lighting](/images/create-realistic-planet/5.jpg)

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This tutorial demonstrates the power of Photoshop's rendering and filter tools to create realistic 3D effects. The combination of cloud rendering, spherize distortion, and lighting effects creates a convincing planet surface with atmosphere and depth.